Separate the facts from the fluff about Celebration, Florida, the town created by the Walt Disney Company and steeped in myths and misconceptions.
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Tuesday, November 09, 2004

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

All my life, I've been in the midst of cold, snowy winters. I've had enough White Christmases to make Bing Crosby happy for the century and beyond. I many know people who say, "It wouldn't be Christmas without snow. I'd never want to live where I'd never see snow again." Believe me, I'm not one of them!

For me, a green Florida-style Christmas is ideal. If I want to see snow, I can call my relatives up north and let them describe it or pop in the DVD of "Christmas Vacation" or "A Christmas Story" (annual traditions in our household). Or I'll head to downtown Celebration or over to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World to watch the soap bubble snowflakes. That's the only kind of snow I need to see for the rest of my life.

That's not to say that Florida doesn't feel Christmasy. Even though it's not Thanksgiving yet, the holiday preparations have already begun. I'm seeing adds for the Candlelight Processional at Epcot and the Christmas parties at the Magic Kingdom. Last time we were at Disney-MGM Studio, the Osborne lights were already being mounted (ironically, with cable ties manufactured by my employer).

On the home front, I'm eagerly awaiting the Holiday Home Tour in Celebration, which is a prime opportunity for nosy people like me to see my neighbors' houses, and of course I'll be romping around when the snow-bubbles fall on Market Street. Considering Lexin's actions thus far as the current owner of downtown Celebration, I'm wondering if this will be the last year for that event. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can.

Next weekend, I think we'll go shopping for some Christmas decorations. I have high hopes of finding a silver 1950s-style tree, complete with color wheel. I have one at our Midwest home, and I'd love to find one for Celebration. I know it's corny and hokey, but nothing evokes my childhood memories of waiting for Santa Claus like an aluminum tree. I know that today's models are made of plastic, but they're still reasonable facsimiles.

I'm hoping the stores aren't too jam-packed yet; I make it a rule never to venture near a shopping center or superstore from Thanksgiving through mid-January. Of course, I don't think the Wal-Mart on 192 could be any more crowded during the holiday season than it is at any other time. After all, there are only so many bodies you can cram into a finite space, and between the locals and tourists, that place is virtually always at capacity.

To me, it seems like paradise to spend a Christmas season being able to walk and bike outside, and maybe even to swim. Very few bare, skeletal trees, and no grass covered with a layer of dirty-gray snow...just beautiful, live greenery. What a treat to see that in December and January!

We'll have lots of fun visiting the various Disney World parks and hotels to see them in their holiday finery, and we'll also have to go over to Universal for their Grinch-themed celebration. There are plenty of other attractions, too. The Dixie Stampede (Dolly Parton's dinner/show) also puts on a special show for the holidays. We saw it in Tennessee many years back, so I'm eager to see it on my home turf. It was something we planned to do last year, but we never quite got around to it. I am also hoping that Celebration Health has a living nativity again this year. We stopped by to see it last year, and I was very impressed (although some of the critters looked less than cooperative).

Hard to believe that the holidays are almost here. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...but far away from me!